


Thirty Day Challenge

by thisisnttheend



Category: Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Genre: Drabble, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-01-19
Packaged: 2018-09-14 00:30:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9148777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisisnttheend/pseuds/thisisnttheend
Summary: A thirty day collection of JackxRalph one shots/drabbles of different variety.





	1. The List

Thirty Day Writing Challenge

 

  1. things we carry
  2. an open door
  3. faces in the street
  4. Mirror
  5. This road
  6. Aftermath
  7. Very loud
  8. Shoes
  9. Nothing
  10. Anywhere in the word
  11. Stars
  12. Out of control
  13. Forgotton 
  14. Home
  15. Witness
  16. Small things
  17. Early morning
  18. Warning
  19. Walk away
  20. Supermarket
  21. Everybody
  22. Things people say
  23. Wrong way
  24. Too many
  25. Remember
  26. Song
  27. Patience
  28. If
  29. One hundred years
  30. What I wrote




	2. things we carry

Ralph rested his gaze on the ceiling as he laid tangled in his sheets. The days moved by slower than the ones on the island ever did. It was two months back now, and the blond never really went back to the person that he was before it all. 

When he moved back, he had realized that Jack and him had in fact been living in the same town all of their lives, but they never knew. He almost wished that he didn’t. Even after everything that the redhead had done to him, he couldn’t stop remembering when they first met. Even though it was only a few months ago, he felt as if they were a lot younger then than they were now. Back then everything seemed so innocent, so easy.

He turned into someone that Ralph had never expected him to be. Jack had gone savage. Ralph wasn’t sure what to think. He decided that he couldn’t think about this any longer, so he decided to let his eyes flutter shut, hoping that he could fall into a dreamless sleep.

A few moments after he closed his eyes, he heard a loud slam at his window. Before the blond could get a word out of his mouth, his window was shoved open and someone was crawling through it. He gasped, too frightened to make any more of a sound. His body stiffened, and he began to prepare himself to run.

“Don’t. Move.” The boy in his room growled under his breath. Ralph would recognize that voice anywhere. Anger began to flow through his veins.

“Jack, I can’t believe you!” he mumbled, shaking his head. His body was still trembling from the fear he felt at a stranger entering, but it was beginning to be replaced. 

Jack narrowed his eyes at him, shaking out his red hair that had been tangled with leaves and twigs. The blond felt a strange sense of ease when he flipped the light switch on, finally able to see the other’s freckles. “If you’re going to be a twat, I’m just going to leave,” he grumbled.

“Why the bloody hell did you even come?” Ralph spoke, as loud as he could without being loud enough to wake his parents sleeping in the room beside them.

Jack smirked to himself, shrugging his shoulders. “I knew you’d want to see me.”

Ralph’s cheeks began to burn, half in fury, but half in embarrassment. He swallowed, narrowing his eyes. He couldn’t bring himself to deny what the other had said, and that upset him. The taller boy was staring at him, and he stared back. Half of him was thinking about all the pain Jack had caused him, how his friends were gone, how this boy had tried to kill him. The other half was concentrated on how they were almost friends before Jack had lost his mind. Maybe he was himself again.

“I can’t say that I do,” Ralph responded after a long pause. He looked at the other, thinking over everything even more than he already had. He carried every moment in his head. He couldn’t stop reliving it, and Jack was the easiest one to blame. He missed Simon. He missed Piggy. It was Jack’s fault. He missed Jack, didn’t he? That was Jack’s fault as well.

Jack raised an eyebrow. He slid the window back open wordlessly, causing the shorter boy to let out a long sigh. “I lied,” Ralph mumbled. He blinked quietly, and the two boys stared at each other until one of them could decide what to say next. 

“I know that,” Jack smiled to himself, giving him a small shrug. The blond wanted to be mad, he really did. Jack was an arrogant narcissist, and the only thing that Ralph had discovered throughout the two months that he had been back was that he absolutely loved it. 

The shorter boy was sitting up in his bed, leaning against the bedframe. He had a large frown on his face, but he scooted over and patted the spot next to him to give him a spot to sit down. The red head sat down, pulling the covers over himself without asking. 

It was then Ralph realized that he was exhausted. His eyes fluttered shut, and he let out a slow nod. Jack opened his mouth to make fun of him for being exhausted at only eleven, but he closed it when he noticed the way his head had fallen on his shoulder. If it were anyone else, he would have moved, laughing when their head fell and they were jolted awake. Something had always been different about Ralph. That’s why the taller boy had wanted him dead in the first place.

Small snores sounded throughout the small bedroom, and Jack was mentally scolding himself for thinking that they were a bit cute to listen to. He was becoming too soft, and he knew it. Maybe he had things of his own to carry around.


	3. an open door

Jack smiled to himself as he walked out of his house, pulling his jacket over his arms but tossing it back onto the floor when he saw his mother go back upstairs. “Don’t worry, mum,” He called, letting out an angry sigh. “I’m wearing a coat, I swear.” The redhead shoved his hands into his pockets after he had taken the time to look at the map he was holding in his hands. He had been to Ralph’s house before, yet he didn’t seem very welcomed when he came in through the window in the middle of the night.

He let out a soft yawn, rubbing his eyes with a fist and brushing some hair out of the way. It still felt strange to be able to rub his face and not see traces of clay falling onto the ground. He could look into the mirror and see his freckles. He missed his face paint. 

Roger had stopped by at his house a few times. He was a sociopath, Jack had concluded. When he had arrived at the older boy’s home the other day, he was staring at him, not making a sound. It was clear that he had no regrets for the people he’d killed, the things that he had done before he left the island. The younger boy felt absolutely no pain. The months had gone by, and Jack couldn’t seem to escape things. Roger was lucky enough not to have to. However, it would be a lie if Jack said that he regretted it.

As the boy walked past the shops on main street, he shivered. His light eyes gazed at the windows, and he licked his lips. He murmured random words under his breath. “Don’t worry, I’m coming back for you, Ralph.” He nodded to himself, furrowing his eyebrows as he looked at his reflection. The boy smiled at it, admiring the way he looked. He couldn’t decide what he meant by those words.

The boy stopped in his tracks as that thought came into his mind. He felt nothing for Ralph, of course not. That would be disgusting. There was no room in his life to have affection for anyone, much less the boy that he still wanted dead. He reassured himself with the idea that even if he did like the blond, that Ralph wanted him as well. He was Jack Merridew, after all. 

It was then that he knew what he had to do. His mum wouldn’t be expecting him home for several hours, at least. No matter how long he was gone, she wouldn't come looking for him. She wouldn’t even think of it until at least tomorrow. Usually when Jack left, he was going to go to Roger’s for a few hours, maybe even to Robert or Bill’s. They were a few years younger, but the redhead relished in the fact that they would do whatever he pleased, just as it should be.

He had a few pounds in his pockets, so he wandered into one of the shops to look for what he needed. His mind was telling him that he was looking for something specific, but he couldn’t decide what it was. Jack swallowed thickly in frustration, his hands balling themselves into fists. It was then, just as he was about to shove something off the shelves that he found what he needed. A smile made its way to his face, and he shook his head, grabbing it and shoving it into his pocket. He ran out, not bothering to look back.

When he had gotten far enough away from Main Street, he took the small object out of his pocket to give himself a chance to examine it. It was a small, creamy white shell. He ran his fingers over it for a moment. It was a bit too cheesy for his tastes, and it reminded him of the island. He was sure that it would remind Ralph too. It might even remind him of Simon and Piggy… for that, Jack had no remorse. The blond might appreciate the memories though.

As he walked to Ralph’s house, he kept his head up and looking forward. There was no time to be the least bit sentimental. He kept his eyes strained on the landscape ahead of him. Houses lined up, surrounded by green grass and white picket fences. God, Ralph didn’t realize how lucky he was to be somewhere like this. He didn’t realize how lucky he was to have parents that loved him and someone to come home to at night.

Jack inhaled sharply as he felt his heart pounding in his chest in sheer frustration and anger. It was hard for him to keep those things behind him because when he wanted something, he wanted it the moment that he had his mind set on it.

He unlocked the fence in front of the shorter boy’s house. As he tilted his head back, he could feel the wind flow through his hair. His eyes fluttered shut, and he took in a sharp gasp of air. The boy allowed himself to imagine that he was no longer back in England. He was no longer in a place where he was so alone and had no control over a thing that happened to him. Instead, he was on an island with sandy beaches and tall trees that swayed in the breeze. He had Roger by his side, and his choir boys beside him to do everything that he pleased. 

In this fantasy, Ralph was long gone. The fire had set him ablaze in the woods, somewhere he couldn’t run. No one had come  in time to save him. Ralph was dead. For just a moment, a flicker of pain went through Jack’s heart, but he pushed it aside, giving into the other feelings inside of him. He felt power surge through his veins, and he wondered how something that everyone thought was so wrong could feel right. He couldn’t deal with the way that Ralph always made him feel any longer.

In a swift motion, Jack opened his eyes and rested the small shell right on Ralph’s front step. He lifted up his foot, slamming it down and sending the shell in millions of shattered pieces. Jack licked his lips and looked down at the fragments. Somehow, he felt the same. 


	4. faces in the street

Ralph had a photo of Piggy on his nightstand, right next to his photo of Simon. After he had returned home from the island by boat, he had began the search for their family members. By the time he had gotten a call from a woman that he didn’t recognize, a few weeks had passed. She introduced herself as a name that the blond didn’t remember, but she was a family member of Simon’s. His throat tightened in guilt. She invited him over for tea. He had decided to attend, but she had give him a reminder of what he had done. It was now resting in a wooden frame. He didn’t have the heart to tell her the story of what had become of her son.

Piggy’s aunt had gotten back to him as well, but he couldn’t be bothered to remember his real name. His name was Piggy, and it always would be. His aunt had given Ralph a page of assorted candies from her shop. This, he had hidden away in a drawer somewhere because he knew that if he ate it, he would be sick. The only reminder he wanted of Piggy was a picture of him smiling in a glass frame. Everything was stuck in the way things should have been.

Sometimes Ralph blamed himself. Mostly, it was for Simon’s death. Regardless of what Piggy had been maintaining, he had been a part of Simon’s murder. Not single handedly, but he had a part in the tearing apart of his body and leaving it to float to sea. Maybe he could have even saved Piggy if he had tried hard enough.

He had terrible nightmares. He would wake up shaking in a pool of his own sweat. When he woke up, he couldn’t remember what had happened exactly, but he knew that it had something to do with Jack Merridew.

Jack Merridew as standing on his doorstep. His eyes were bright as ever and he was standing straight with his chin up. His shoulders were pushed back. He was lanky as ever, and for Ralph, it was strange seeing his freckles that were too often covered by blood and dirty.

Ralph’s heart was beating out of his chest in a mixture of fear and frustration as Jack introduced himself to his father, holding a hand out for him to shake. To  the blond, it was terrifying how easy it was for Jack to hide who he was. If they had met somewhere other than the island, he might have never known. 

Ralph stumbled up the stairs to his room, as he was too scared to give his parents a real explanation of who Jack was. They would never fully believe the things that had gone on while he was away. The blond followed him up the stairs, but he had gotten to the top due to the fact that his strides were much larger. The shorter boy opened the door to his room. It was simple, nothing that was unexpected.

Jack’s eyes were immediately drawn to the picture frames on the nightstand. He took quick steps over to them and lifted the one of Simon off the table. “What the fuck, Ralph?” He said suddenly, clenching his jaw. “Have you forgotten that you had a part in killing him?” He held onto it tighter. This caused Ralph to gasp. Of all the things that he had expected the other to do, this was not one. 

The smaller boy inhaled deeply, trying to turn the sadness that filled him into anger. “I didn’t mean to, Jack!” he yelled, shaking his head and taking a step closer to him. He chewed on his lower lip as he came closer, shoving the redhead into the wall and trying to pry the picture frame from his hands.

Jack took this as an invitation. He had never been rough with Ralph. Never physically, at least. Everything that the taller boy did was discrete, and he wanted to keep it that way. He rubbed his shoulder awkwardly, not letting the picture frame escape his grasp. “I was just admiring it, give me a second,” he said with a soft laugh, looking at the picture once again

Ralph’s eyes met his, and for a short moment, they pleaded for him not to do what he thought that he was going to do. He swallowed thickly. “Jack, please don’t do it,” he whimpered. He took another step closer to him. With that, the redhead opened the picture frame. He stared at the boy in the photograph, and he began to laugh. His fingers traced over Simon’s dark hair and skin, and he licked his lips. 

The shorter was about to reach out for the picture again, but he was too afraid to do so for the fear of what Jack could easily do. “Maybe you should respect me more next time,” Jack smiled as he took the photo, ripping it in half. After he finished, he kept ripping it until the pieces were unsalvageable. Ralph’s eyes began to water, and he rubbed them with his arm so that he wouldn’t seem weak. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out as first. With a sudden surge of confidence, Ralph slammed him into the wall. 

“I hate you. I hate everything you’ve ever done. I hate the way you look. I hate the fact that I always have to see you when it’s the last thing that I want to do. I hate you, Jack Merridew.”


	5. mirror

Jack smiled faintly at himself in the mirror, admiring his own features. Freckles dotted his cheeks, making his eyes and hair seem brighter. His long fingers traced along the jagged crack forced into the class. Half of his heart didn’t feel one ounce of guilt, but the other part twisted and screamed for his sandy-haired boyfriend. He’d have to apologize, but no one said that he would have to mean it.

_ Ralph squeezed his eyes shut as his boyfriend continued to scream at him. He fought back sobs, trying not to cry because he knew that it would only make matters worse. He barely even knew what he was in trouble for this time, but he was sure it had something to do with the fact that he had been out with Simon that day. Jack had problems with jealousy, and Ralph knew that. It was his own fault. He shouldn’t have gone. _

_ The blond came closer to the taller boy, and he carefully shoved him, just to make a point. Jack inhaled deeply, his jaw clenched. He came closer, slamming his roughly against the mirror. Ralph let out a loud cry in pain, and he could feel the blood seeping through his shirt. “Don’t fucking do this, Ralph. You knew that seeing him would hurt me, and you did it anyway. All you do is hurt people, you’re just as bad as me!” Jack screamed. _

_ The shorter boy was trembling, half from his words and half from the way he was touched. He curled up in a ball and leaned against the mirror. He inhaled deeply and grabbed the trash can, emptying out everything in his stomach. “I’m sorry, please, Jack,” he coughed. The redhead narrowed his eyes , and he shook his head. Ralph tried to stand up, but he couldn’t manage with all of the bruises that covered his body. _

_ He was forced to wear long sleeved shirts and pants now, even though the spring was giving way to the summer. The heat created a film of sweat and concern from Simon. He constantly assured his friend not to worry, but he was running out of excuses. The blond hiccuped in pain, rubbing his eyes with a fist. He was constantly apologizing, but nothing ever helped. _

_ “Jack, I can’t do this anymore,” he whispered, grabbing his coat off the bed and stumbling to the door of the bedroom. _

_ “You’re not leaving me. I love you,” the other responded, swallowing and keeping his eyes on him. Ralph instinctively nodded in fear. _

_ “I love you too, but tonight, I just want to go home.” Jack let him walk all the way home alone. _

Jack sat on the edge of his bed, resting his head in his hands. He couldn’t help it that his boyfriend made him so frustrated. He was impatiently waiting for the minor guilt in his chest to fade away and the blame to be shifted. That didn’t come until the morning.

He rolled on his side, frowning a bit at his mother’s figure in the doorway. His eyes fluttered in consciousness, when he realized that Ralph had come to see him. Jack slowly sat up, grabbing a shirt from the floor and letting his eyes linger on the cracked mirror.

He turned toward the door and looked at the boy standing in front of him. “I love you, Ralph, I swear that I do,” Jack was the first to speak. The words came more from his brain than his heart, but he wanted Ralph back, and he would do whatever it took. Ralph looked at him with a look of awe, like he wanted to forgive him but he just couldn’t figure out how to. 

Ralph chewed on his lower lip and rubbed his eyes with his sleeve. He hesitantly came closer to him and crawled onto Jack’s lap, resting his head on the taller boy’s shoulder. He pressed a gentle kiss to his skin. “I love you,” he murmured back. 

Jack was just waiting for next time.


	6. this road

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, this is an awful chapter. I'm so sorry that I've been gone for so long.
> 
> Second, this is a deleted scene from my fanfic denial. I don't think that you'll have to read that to understand this, though.

Ralph and Jack were falling apart. All of their relations were through sly glances and careful touches. Soon, Ralph couldn’t tell if the other had feelings for him any longer.

Jack wanted to start his one tribe. As he walked away from everything that Ralph had created for him and for himself, the blond could feel his heart almost ready to burst. As he took a step for him, calling out the taller boy’s name, Piggy reached out to stop him. He stared at Ralph for a moment before figuring out what to say. “We don’t need him,” he said firmly. Ralph shook his head. 

“He’ll be back,” Ralph murmured. Piggy stared at him again and examined the pink that came to his cheeks.

“You like him,” he stated with wide eyes. “Ralph, you’re absolutely batty!” he gasped, shaking his head crazily. “He’s batty!” Piggy was gasping for air, and he felt as if he was about to have an asthma attack right there.

The blond’s cheeks turned red in shame, but he couldn’t betray Jack’s trust by explaining further.

As night fell, Jack didn’t return. Ralph sat alone in his shelter because whenever he came out, Piggy made him feel as if he was out of his mind. He was beginning to think that maybe he could be. Being alone was much easier, although he couldn’t help that the simple sight of Jack Merridew made him blush and made it hard to speak.

The redhead always snuck in the shelters to be with him. Now, it was his turn to do the same. Granted, Ralph’s journey would be of much more risk that Jack’s had ever been, but the blond needed closure if he were to ever be able to move on from whatever this was.

He slowly peeked his head out of his shelter to find out if anyone else was awake. As he was getting ready to leave, he rubbed dirt over his face, creating his own type of war paint. He hoped that the face paint and the dark would disguise his identity so that he would travel without fear.

When he was sure that his only ally was fast asleep, he was off. He made his way quickly across the island, as fast as his legs would take him. By the time that he had made it across, his cheeks were bright red and his breathing labored. The shelter that was Jack’s was easily visible. 

It was close to the fire, but out a safe distance away. The shelter was much larger than the others, and Ralph was practically certain that it wasn’t shared. That was, if he knew anything about Jack Merridew. The blond slowly crawled in. He noticed how calm the redhead was while he was asleep. He licked his lips, almost ready to climb into his arms. It was only when Jack jumped up with a  start that he sat down carefully and realized how much trouble that he had gotten himself into this time.

“Ralph, what in bloody hell are you doing?” he groaned, after taking a few minutes to fully wake up and figure out who was staring at him. The shorter boy swallowed thickly, his cheeks burning.

“I had to see my boyfriend.”

Jack glared at him. “God, you’re so stupid,” he murmured. He rolled his eyes with a deep frown. His face paint from the day had been smeared all over, and it almost made Ralph want to laugh. “You should join my tribe. It’s not too late.”

Ralph hesitated before his words spilled from his lips. “Piggy knows,” he mumbled dumbly,

Before the blond knew it, he was pinned to the ground with a spear to his chest. It wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling to him at this point, but he had to admit that constantly having his boyfriend threaten him was a bit of a thrill.

“I told you that I wouldn’t hesitate, Ralph,” Jack said through a clenched jaw. Fear began to flow through the other at the fact that this time, the redhead could actually be getting ready to end his life. “Or maybe I could just murder him, and you could watch him die right in front of your eyes.” Jack grinned.

Ralph shook his head. “Please, Jack,” he whimpered as he tried to squirm out of his grasp. The other was much taller and stronger than him, so as much as he struggled, he barely moved an inch. 

“I’ll spare you, but mark my words, you’re going to regret every telling him. You’re going to regret ever even meeting me,” The smile on Jack’s face was full of maliciousness and his eyes of pure evil.

Ralph almost wished that he had just been speared.


End file.
